The agent for new Cubs manager Joe Maddon denies Chicago tampered with Maddon by reaching out to him while he was still under contract with the Rays.

Maddon, 60 opted out of his contract with Tampa Bay after Andrew Friedman left the Rays' front office to take over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Oct. 14.

"The Rays remain convinced that the Cubs enticed Maddon to opt out of the final year of his contract last week rather than reaching out afterward," Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Time reports. "As a result, they are still considering filing tampering charges or a complaint to get Major League Baseball to investigate the matter, with any potential compensation (A fine? A player?) determined by the commissioner's office."

But Maddon's agent, Alan Nero, says the Rays are wrong about the sequence of events:

Alan Nero told us that the Cubs would not talk to them until they had a copy of his opt out clause & permission from Commish Office XM 89

Looking for a turnaround after five consecutive losing seasons, the Cubs announced Friday that they had hired Maddon to replace Rick Renteria after just one year on the job. The move pairs the respected Maddon with a promising roster and a franchise with far more resources than he ever enjoyed with the small-market Rays.

Renteria was fired after leading Chicago to a 73-89 record in his only season as a major league manager. It was a seven-win improvement from 2013, the last of Dale Sveum's two years in charge, but not close to reaching the playoffs or putting the Cubs in position to win their first World Series title since 1908.

Maddon had a 754-705 record in nine seasons in Tampa Bay, leading the club to four playoff appearances, two AL East titles and a five-game loss to Philadelphia in the 2008 World Series.

The two-time AL Manager of the Year was the bench coach for six seasons under Angels manager Mike Scioscia before he was hired by Tampa Bay in November 2005.